Be Seen With Spoke Lights

As a night commuter I obsess over lights and being visible to cars and pedestrians. Over the past 17 years I’ve had my fair share of close encounters with cars and taxis and the preoccupied pedestrian in the crosswalk. I now commute with a 70 lumen handlebar light, a 400 lumen headlight and two blinkies on the bike, but right-turners and taxis diving to the curb will still turn into me.

About a year ago, I saw rolling down Market Street, a bike that was a kaleidoscope of moving color; It was glittering, it had swirl patterns, it looked like an UFO and I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

I watched the bike and rider pedal away into the evening in his own spotlight. It was a perfect way to make yourself visible and not look like an ambulance. When I got home, I started my search for this new type of spoke light.

Googling, the first website I clicked on was Monkeylights, the very lights I saw on Market that evening. Large and sturdily constructed, Monkeylights are locally made in the Bay Area and at the time just coming into production. I wanted one, but the price for just one light was around $75 dollars and you needed two of the units to make proper animations. This was too much investment for my cheap commuter bike that I park downtown. I like to buy local and I like USA made products, but I didn’t want to spend that much just to see if I like it. I kept googling and i had several other options that were under $20 and even under $10.

I was getting stoked. If you google “spoke light”, “led spoke light pattern” or any relevant combination, there will be dozens of results with wildly varying prices. So, I limited my self to a $35 budget and bought four types.

To create these awesome patterns and messages, the blinking LED bike lights rely on a electronics that synchronizes the lights to turn on and off as it spinning down the road. This is called persistence of vision. The Fredliest-Nerd toy on the market.

I’ll only review three of them. These are the ones that are on my bikes now and work very well. The one not mentioned here is a screw on “valve-stem” type light. There were many problems with this one; It uses the “button” type batteries, doesn’t last long, and is a pain to install batteries, small and doesn’t put out enough light. I broke the cheap mylar battery holder.

I’m going to start with my favorite. You can easily type in 4 messages or draw/import 8-bit style illustrations on your PC and send the files wirelessly with a supplied USB remote controller. The software is simple and is intuitive which is great because the instructions were not very good. The unit’s light color is pale blue and very intense, you can see the images on either side of the bike, but one side is brighter than the other. Push button to start. Installation is made easy with two knurled nuts on the hub rather than the spokes. Operates on 3 AAA batteries for about 20 hours. $21, from China and take over a month to deliver.

From the Manufacturer

• PC Programmable Wireless Portable Message Transmitter
• Upload from PC to USB Drive Direct to LED Gadget
• Hub Mount Keeps Wheel Balanced
• 30 blue LED lights illuminate any Message; Joke; Protest; Logo
• Automatic power off after 5 Minutes
• Waterproof to use in any Weather
• Built in 40 Different Patterns, 5 English words and 4 custom messages
• Increase Visibility for Safe Night or Day Riding
• Shows a clear pattern at half of the average bike speed
• Hub mount keeps wheel balanced
• With double-wing design and using our special IC, it can easily show clear patterns at half the normal Speed of between 14km/h, 8mile/h
• Using RF technology, it allows you to program and send messages through a portable transmitter with USB Port.
• After you finish the message just a press the button and the new message will be ready to broadcast
• Power supply: 3x AAA for lights; 2x AAA for transmitter
• Dimensions: 390x55x23 mm

This is the cheapest one. No programming messages. Bright orange plastic unit adds visibility during the day. The LEDs are a very bright blue light and the stationary pattern is hypnotic. It attaches to your single spoke with two little brackets and 4 tiny screws, don’t strip the plastic by being careless with the screwdriver. I just snug them up and wrap a thin piece of wire around it to neighboring spokes to stabilize the unit. If you don’t, it will hit your fork or frame (important to check before heading out on a ride!) The three AAA batteries (lasts about 20 hours) install in a battery compartment with 6 tiny screws. I have to emphasize the plastic is brittle and you have to use a light touch with the screwdriver. Changing batteries involve removing the unit from the wheel to access the compartment. It can take a good 15 minutes to do and you’re dealing with 10 screws and wire. Push button to start. Uses a magnet on your fork to synchronize the patterns and knows if its on. I used a bigger one and mounted it with tape. Around $9.

This one displays colorful patterns but no messages and is by far the easiest to install and replace batteries. It mounts along three spokes with plastic clips, I added zipties to make it more permanent and secure. Doesn’t use a magnet and is motion activated. The batteries are swapped out by opening an end cap (take one out to keep it from turning on when you don’t want to). Be careful not to tear the cap or not securing it tightly before riding. If it’s cold the plastic might feel brittle. The colors are not a rainbow but more cool colored; blue, green, yellow and orange. Colors and patterns are beautiful but are not as bright as the other two spoke lights. A little cosmetic tip; warm up the light unit under a desk lamp for a few minutes to loosen up the adhesive of the stickers and they remove easily. IMO, looks nicer just seeing the circuit board and batteries. Around $11, shipped from China can take over a month. Same company as #1.

I’m happy with all three of these spoke lights and it would be hard to rate one above the other. All do a great job of making you visible and even cast light on the ground around your bike. All three have been used for hundreds of commuting miles and survived potholes and bumps, just make sure you secure them like I mentioned and if they do get loose, stop right away or you will crack that plastic. They are fairly waterproof but I’m skeptical, make sure that the seals and screws are snug when installing and the rubber on the buttons are smooth. To get a full wheel image you need to be going over 15 mph, but at slower speeds you can still get a nice image.

I combined the two orange units on one wheel with them facing out on either side of the wheel and you get a full image at slower speeds if you sync the start buttons on them.

I like all three for their individual characteristics and price and I’m beginning to see more bikes using these types of lights on the streets. Side-lighting your bike makes sense and adds extra visibility and safety.

Cyclist, pedestrians and drivers have all asked me what it is and where they can get one. This was money well spent and highly recommended for the night commuter.